This invention relates to a programmer (controller) and, more particularly, a programmer which allows individual control of a plurality of linked devices or groups of devices belonging to an installation, such as an installation for heating the rooms in a residential building, office building, or the like.
If it were desired to control each heater in a given installation separately, for example as a function of the temperature measured in the room where the device is located, and at least one set temperature, it has heretofor been necessary to provide a programmer for each device. In view of the cost which this entails, it has been conventional heretofore to settle for a single programmer for all the rooms incorporating therewith a type of "time switch" system. This solution results in a considerable waste of energy, since it causes all the rooms to be heated simultaneously regardless of whether they are actually occupied or not.
Programming matrices are known which allow programming the function of a plurality of devices in a centralized manner, controlling each device separately. However, these matrices are used in very limited applications at the present time, and, in particular they are not at all suitable for automatic control of room heating.